Politics enters equation for Gloucester charter school approval

Friday

Sep 25, 2009 at 12:01 AMSep 25, 2009 at 7:58 PM

The revelation that state Secretary of Education Paul Reville urged for approval of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School for political reasons, rather than the merits of the proposal, has thrown yet another wrench into plans for a charter school in Gloucester.

Pamela Campbell

The revelation that state Secretary of Education Paul Reville urged for approval of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School for political reasons, rather than the merits of the proposal, has thrown yet another wrench into plans for a charter school in Gloucester.

In the e-mail, dated Feb. 5, 2009, Reville urges state Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester, co-chair of the Board of Education and Secondary Education, to approve at least one charter application that had been submitted in the fall of 2008 or risk sending “the wrong signal.

“Our reality is that we have to show some sympathy in this group of charters or we’ll get permanently labeled as hostile and that will cripple us with a number of key, moderate allies [listed were the Boston Globe and the Boston Foundation, both considered strong advocates of the charter movement].

“It really is a matter of positioning ourselves so that we can be viable to implement the rest of our agenda,” the e-mail continues. “My inclination is to think that you, I, and the governor all need to send at least one positive signal in this batch, and gather you think the best candidate is Gloucester. Can you see your way clear to supporting it?”

The e-mail was originally obtained by the Gloucester Daily Times and published in its Sept. 19 edition.

At the time of the e-mail — eight days before the vote — none of the three finalist charter school applications being considered (Waltham, Worcester, and Gloucester) had been recommended for approval by the BESE subcommittee charged with such evaluations. That subcommittee had sent Chester written reasons recommending against each of the applications.

Chester, when those subcommittee recommendations against approval came to light in June, downplayed their importance, saying he was not obligated to follow the subcommittee’s advice.

Reville, in his e-mail — acknowledging that Chester had his reasons for not backing the Waltham proposal — went on to the remaining two on the list.

“I’m not inclined to push Worcester, so that leaves Gloucester,” wrote Reville, whose children attend Worcester Public Schools.

Chester insists he had already planned to vote to approve the Gloucester charter when he received the e-mail from Reville.

The vote on Feb. 13 to approve the GCACS charter was six in favor, five opposed. Reville was absent.

No one has alleged that the GCACS was in on the political agenda mentioned in Reville’s e-mail. However, professional activists whose primary purpose is to push charter schools in Massachusetts have been involved in assisting the GCACS, including speaking before those gathered at the June meeting.

Leaders of the GCACS have remained silent so far. An e-mail request for a response from Amy Ballin, president of the GCACS Board of Directors, was not returned to the Beacon by press time.

A GCACS board meeting scheduled for Sept. 23, which the Beacon had been invited to attend prior to news of the e-mail controversy, was cancelled. The charter school is scheduled to open in fall 2010; no location for the school has been announced.

Chester issued a letter Saturday reiterating his denial that politics had ever played a role in the charter school application process. He reiterated the assertion again at the BESE meeting Tuesday that was attended by a large contingent of Gloucester school officials and other community leaders.

Reville issued a statement Monday that his e-mail remarks had been taken out of context, and reiterated his own denial that politics had ever played a role in the charter school application process. He apologized for the e-mail at the BESE meeting on Tuesday.

Gov. Deval Patrick wrote a letter Monday to both Reville and Chester, hand-delivered this time, reiterating his June request that the charter school approval vote be set aside and the entire process done over more carefully.

Chester has not replied to the governor, and no vote was taken Tuesday by the BESE on the governor’s request.

The governor, meanwhile, released a statement Tuesday saying he had “complete confidence” in Reville, whom he appointed Secretary of Education in 2008.

Gloucester School Committee Chairman Greg Verga, Schools Superintendent Christopher Farmer, School Committee member Val Gilman, Mayor Carolyn Kirk, and School Committee candidate/Stand for Children education advocate Roger Garberg spoke at the BESE meeting Tuesday, as did both local legislators, Sen. Bruce Tarr and Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante.

All expressed anger and disappointment about both the e-mail issue and the approval itself, repeated the list of irregularities and slights to due process they say the Gloucester community has suffered throughout the controversy, and asked for the charter approval to be set aside and that the application be started over and done correctly, if at all.

Ferrante, whose speech on Tuesday was passionate and angry, told the Beacon Thursday that in addition, she and Tarr had specifically asked the BESE for full disclosure of the entire approval process record, including all e-mails exchanged and all factors taken into account.

“If that full disclosure is not forthcoming in a timely manner, we would ask for a third party to come in at that point for an investigation,” Ferrante said. That third party would be the Inspector General.

Ferrante said they were assured the disclosure would happen.

“I agree with Gov. Patrick that we should open up this whole process and start over,” she added.

Chester thanked everyone for speaking, reiterated that there had never been a political agenda on the part of the BESE or himself with regard to this charter, and announced that the board would be willing to hold another public hearing in Gloucester to give citizens here a chance to “air concerns.”

“I’m encouraged that he’s willing to bring the whole board down here, but not if it’s gong to be just another show,” Ferrante said of Chester’s offer.